Home Help: Trees and shrubs

Click the link below for the weekly Home Help with items how to care for trees and shrubs, Walmart's new online video streaming service, how to treat evergreens and more. Or check out related items.

A beautiful yard involves more than just a lush, green lawn. Trees and shrubs add beauty and value, and they need special attention.

According to Dr. Ben Hamza, director of technical operations at TruGreen, a lawn care maintenance service, "Trees and shrubs add tremendous appeal to our home environments, but to thrive, particularly out of their natural world, they require regular care with added nutrients and protection against invasive pests."

- Use the right-sized tool to make pruning cuts. Loppers are used to cut branches up to one inch in diameter, and pruning saws are used for larger branches.

Placement

- Certain species of plants are prone to disease or pests. Before investing in new trees and shrubs, find out what problems are common in your area and avoid selecting plants susceptible to them.

- Insects and diseases are harder to control when a plant is out of place. For example, growing shade-loving plants in the open sun invites pest and disease trouble.

Proper feeding

- An inadequate fertilizer application will not improve color or growth, nor will it bring out the full potential of the plant.

- Fertilizer applied at excessive rates is detrimental to plants and can damage or kill the roots. Above the ground, excess fertilizer shows up as leaf scorch and even branch dieback.

- Fertilizer should be applied to cover as much of the root-growing zone under the plant canopy as possible. If it is misapplied to only a portion of the root zone, the fertilized area could respond differently from the unfertilized areas.

-- Family Features

Tip of the Week: Make small laundry rooms bigger

Do you have a small laundry room? Make the most of your small space with stackable washers and dryers, as well as a foldaway ironing board. Wire shelving systems are adjustable and relatively inexpensive. You can also put these units on wheels to make it easier to move laundry, supplies or storage.

-- HGTV.com

Home-Selling Tip: Curb appeal is first impression

Potential homebuyers will get their first impression of your house the moment they step out of the car. That is why is it important to make sure the outside of your house, or the “curb appeal,” is clear of clutter, freshly landscaped and appears inviting. Flower beds, walkways, driveway lights and patio furniture are just a few examples of what can spruce up your curb appeal.

-- RealEstateABC.com

Going Green: 35,000 old refrigerators and counting

DTE Energy, a Detroit-based energy company, recently announced its Appliance Recycling Program has recycled 35,000 old refrigerators and freezers since it began in 2009. The collected appliances are taken apart at a recycling plant in Michigan, and 95 percent of the materials in each refrigerator are recycled. In addition, the homeowner gets a check for $40.

-- Earth911.com

Did You Know …

Existing-home sales in June declined .8 percent from May and remain 8.8 percent below June 2010 numbers. -- NAR

New Product: Walmart’s online video streaming service

Walmart recently launched an online video-on-demand service with Vudu, an online streaming service the retail giant acquired in February. There is no monthly membership to stream videos. Internet-capable TVs and set-top boxes can access a library of movies and TV shows, including 3-D titles, and play them instantly from www.walmart.com/vudu. Rental costs range from $1 to $7 while purchases range from $5 to $22.

-- ConsumerReports.org

Garden Guide: Treating needle dieback on evergreens

Many evergreen trees are experiencing needle dieback this year. According to Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension educator in horticulture, the cold, wet spring has brought out many tree diseases that are causing significant damage. In particular, spruce and pine trees show needle browning and dieback. Spruce trees have small needles arranged along the stem. Pine trees have needles in bundles of two, three or five along the stem.

Several practices can help reduce the amount of damage caused by disease. When the foliage is dry, remove dead branches and dead stem tips. Because fungus survives on cones, rake and remove fallen cones throughout the season. Stressed trees are typically more susceptible to infection, so follow proper watering and fertilization to keep trees healthy. Chemical options are available for some diseases, but sprays this late in the season are not beneficial.

GateHouse News Service

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